AuthorTopic: Shimano Curado 200J (Read 1293 times)

Welcome to my newest discovery. In the JDM world, they always make some interesting twists on reels we have in the states. So what makes this reel special that I just had to get it in my hands?, it's a D series Curado with a shallow spool. The ever loved "tank" of a reel from Shimanos past was one of the toughest made wearing the Curado name. Aluminum frame and crank plate, accompanied with brass gears, and most parts made of some kind of metal, it's just straight solid. The Curado D had a regular spool, and a deep spool version, but not a shallow spool version. Who in their mind would want to fish a reel like a Curado D with light line? Well...me. By light line, I mean 30lb braid.

I didn't know what kind of capacity I was gonna get with the spool that comes in this reel. Never having this particular reel in my hands, and having next to nothing for information on it, it was a crap shoot. I wasnt sure if I was even gonna have enough capacity to use 30lb braid, was I gonna need to go thinner? I was hoping not as it would be quite ridiculous to fish 15 or 20lb braid on a D platform. Well, come to my surprise, it holds plenty of 30lb braid, if not more than enough.

The J in 200J stands forjigging. That's "jigging", as in jigging a bait up and down in salt water. High speed gearing (about 30 IPT), and the bigger handle assist in this. The blue coloration for the accents, as well as the color of the frame, give it that "ocean reel" vibe. The J is equipped with Shimanos VBS brakes too. The shallow and light spool add to its ability to cast lighter baits with ease. My lighter baits with this reel is gonna be more on the 1/16-1/8oz weight and a T rigged plastic.

The first thing I did when I recieved the reel was to spool it with the braid, and mount it on my Dobyns Champion XP704. It just seemed right given the rods abilities, and matching coloration. I added 2 clear brake tabs to the spool, and let her rip. Very impressed with the whole package, the next step was to tear it down and lube it my way. Though this reel is spotless, it's just something that has to be done so I am self satisfied that its 100%.

I am currently awaiting for my carbontex drag to come in before I put it back together, but for now I can admire to build quality...

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My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

Started to get the reel back together. Still waiting on the carbontex drag, but wanted to get a jump start. Added the crankshaft bearing since this reel is save from salt duty. Also left the metal plate that was mounted under the hood of the frame off. Dont know what its purpose was, but it added unneeded weight and corrosion ability. Flushed the stock spool bearings out as well.

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My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

I got the carbon drag today, and put the reel back together. Lubed the gears up, as well as the spool bearings and took it out back to do some casting. Man, this thing just amazes me that it's a D series. Since the reel is actually been made for salt water jigging, it's a well kept secret as far as casting since I haven't heard anything about them. Cant wait to get into some fish this weekend with it. Oh, and it looks amazing on my Dobyns Champion XP704.

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My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

Took the reel out for a good spin today. Something stopped me before I left the house, and told me to pack my Scorpion just in case. It's a good thing I did, as this reel is a killer casting reel, and is loads of fun to fish with, but heavy and bulky to hold. So after a few hours of using it, I made a switch and put the Scorpion on to continue to fish that particular setup. It's a dang tank folks. Lol. Might be better off for pitching lighter baits to heavy cover.

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My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.